This hole-out eagle at the par-four fifth was the highlight of Joaquin Niemann's opening 69, which leaves the 23-year-old Chilean just one back.

Jordan Spieth yet again fails to find the cup with a vital putt as he lets another shot go following a pretty poor approach shot at 11.

It was even worse for Viktor Hovland though who hooked his second shot into the hazard and that cost him a six to go from one under to one over.

-4 Smith (F), Im (14), Johnson (12)

-3 Niemann (F), Willett (F), Scheffler (F), Zalatoris (12)

-2 Kokrak (F), Conners (16), Koepka (10)

Selected others:

-1 Woods (F), Finau (F), Westwood (16)

E Matsuyama (F), MacIntyre (17), McIlroy (10)

+1 Lowry (F), Garcia (13), Hatton (12), Morikawa (12), Rahm (12)

+2 Spieth (11)

+3 Fleetwood (F)

Lovely tee shot on 16 helps Lee Westwood to make a two and takes him back into red numbers thanks to back-to-back birdies.

Elliot Newstead: I've had Cameron Smith twice in the last two years in a Masters sweepstake. This year, there was no sweepstake.

Shane Lowry almost had a hole-in-one, but he did find the bottom of the cup with his chip-in on 13 for an eagle.

Tap-in eagles are a rare thing, but Harold Varner III gave himself one after a frankly ludicrous second shot at 13.

After pushing his drive, the 31-year-old whips a glorious long iron out of the pine straw from 227 feet.

Butch Harmon on Sky likes it, and so he should! The ball lands about 15 feet short and stops just shy of the hole!

Incredible stuff. Shades of Phil Mickelson on his way to winning his third Green Jacket in 2010.

After his incredible first round, how will Tiger Woods get his surgically repaired body fully recovered for his afternoon tee time tomorrow?

He explained to Sky Sports...

"Lots of treatment, lots of ice baths, shivering and suffering! It's awful but it allows me to recover. It's just a process on both sides, as I alluded to at the press conference. It's pre- and post. They've gotten longer. I thought they were long enough when I came back from my back issues, now they're even longer.

"But my team has done an incredible job of getting me ready to have an opportunity to get this thing rolling. I said 'hey guys, get me to this point and my adrenaline will kick in and I'll know what to do.'

"I know how to play golf and I know how to play this golf course. Let's just try and get me to this point, and I'll take it from there."

Dustin Johnson comes within a whisker of taking the lead on his own, but as he taps in on 12 he's still a joint-leader on four under.

It's a nice round DJ has got rolling here with no bogeys so far.

McIlroy's approach play is really letting him down.

Having split another fairway, he shoves another iron shot out to the right and finds the bunker just off the right of the 10th green.

It's a treacherous one, too, and while he makes solid contact, he can only leave himself a 17-footer for par, but in it goes! The flat stick comes to the rescue!

No change for Koepka or Fitzpatrick, who remain two and one under respectively.

Image source, Getty Images

Tiger Woods was talking to Sky Sports about his performance.

"I am proud of my whole team. We worked so hard. We've never taken a day off once I got out out of the bed.

"There are easier days than others, if my leg didn't work that well that day we did upper body, but we did something every single day and it led me to this opportunity to play at The Masters.

"Lo and behold, here we are and as of now I am only three back."

Can Tiger Woods win the Masters? Gives us a thumbs up for yes or thumbs down if we're getting carried away!

The eagle has landed for Im Sung-jae at the 13th!

After two beautiful hits on to the green, the South Korean judges his 12-footer to perfection and jumps back into a share of the lead with Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson.

That's just what Im needed after dropped shots at 10 and 11.

Woods told Sky Sports about the birdie on the 16th and the cheers from the patrons:

"That was a good one. I got a little teach from Louis' putt, slowed down at the end and snapped. I've hit that practice putt and I've always under-read it and it was good to get that affirmation from Louis that that putt does snap at the end."

Oh yes. Fresh off his birdie at the 15th, MacIntyre produces a wonderful approach at the par-three 16th and makes the putt!

After dropping back to two over, the Scot is showing some real resilience over the closing stretch.

Danny Willet, talking to Sky Sports:

"Really pleased (with performance). It's tricky, we've had a hell of a lot of rain the last three days, I think we've had three inches. The golf course is actually drying out as we're getting on.

"The wind's going to help that dry out. As it is right now there's a few flags that are get-able. It looks like its going to pump a bit more this afternoon and it's going to start to play even trickier. Any time you start with a sub-par round at this tournament, you're in with a good chance."

Image source, Getty Images

On what he learns each year coming back:

"How the course plays, how it lends itself. Because it's a one-tee start, always off on the first you can build your way into this golf course, it gives you the chances on that back nine with some pin positions and you've got to try and get through some tricky stretches at the beginning, and just try and stay patient.

"Wait for your chances to come and I think we did that pretty well today. We didn't take as many as we probably would have liked but just a really clean round of golf in some tricky conditions."

Koepka's approach at the ninth is a beauty and he duly rolls it home from four feet to turn in 34.

McIlroy, after another pearler of a drive, pushes another approach out to the right and has to settle for par. He's driving it spectacularly well, but the rest of his game looks spotty.

Fitzpatrick is much closer in two after a fine approach from 113 yards but, like McIlroy, encounters frustration on the green.

However, that's an encouraging front nine from the Englishman.

We'll bring you some Tiger Woods highlights from his first round - first off take a look at his tee shot on six that set-up his birdie.

Joint-leader Cameron Smith, speaking to Sky Sports: "I played really solid. There were a couple of bad tee shots and couple of wedges that we didn't quite judge the wind right on and before you know it you make a six.

"I feel as though my game was in a good place to begin with, but winning the Players was great. The best players in the world were playing there, same as here, but we have three days left here so let's see how it goes."

Finally Jordan Spieth makes a putt as he drags himself back to one over at the turn.

It's a funny old round, he's played pretty well but not made any putts so hard to decide if that's a good or bad front nine...

Robert MacIntyre endured a bit of mid-round wobble, dropping three shots in the space of two holes to drop back to two over, but he's just gained a shot at the par-five 15th.

If the Scot can pick up another one, he'll be in decent shape for tomorrow.